What to do
in Ulm?

Not to miss

Start at the Ulmer Münster

You can't really get around the Ulmer Münster. Literally not, because the 161.53 meters high tower resurfaces from almost every street above the rooftops. Construction started in 1377 and was completed in 1890. They obviously didn't have any hurry, but the result may be there.

Until recently, the Münster was known as the highest church in the world. You can still read that on surprisingly many websites, but since 2026 that title has been cancelled: The central tower of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona is now 172.5 meters high. The Münster still has the highest church tower in Germany. And honestly, when you stand on the square and look up, 161.53 meters still feels pretty excessive.

Walk in, too. The interior is much quieter than the exuberant exterior suggests. High vaults, stained glass windows, old choir benches and huge pillars make you slow down by yourself.

If you have any energy left, you can climb the tower. Thanks to the current restoration you arrive via 560 steps to the platform at 102 meters. The higher lookout point at 143 meters is temporarily closed. There is no elevator, so you have to convince those 560 steps yourself. View the current information about the tower climb.

Walk away

Do not pass the narrow streets around the Münster

Many visitors watch the Münster, turn around over the square and then continue straight on. Shame, because just the small streets around the church make this part of Ulm fun. Walk towards Platzgasse, Herrenkellergasse and Hafenbad and especially dive into the smaller side streets.

Here you will find old facades, courtyards, small shops and cafes. Often the tower appears suddenly between two buildings. Especially if you like to photograph, you can hang here for quite a while without even checking out one official attraction.

Ulm is not an untouched medieval open-air museum. During World War II, much of the city centre was destroyed. As a result, historic houses sometimes stand right next to modern architecture. Richard Meier's white Stadthaus opposite the Münster is the clearest example of this. Not everyone will like it, but the contrast is certainly not boring.

Best walk

Walk along the water through the Fischerviertel

From the Münster you walk in about ten minutes to the Fischer- und Gerberviertel. This is undoubtedly the most cozy piece of Ulm. The Blau flows in narrow arms between half-timbered houses, small bridges and cobblestone streets. Some houses seem to be almost in the water with their toes.

There used to be fishermen, skippers, millers and tanners. The houses were at the same time house and workshop. At some old tanneries you can still see wooden galleries where animal skins were processed and dried. That must have smelled a lot less romantic than it is now.

Walk through the Fischergasse, the Fischerplätzle and the Schwörhausgasse, but don't look too much at your navigation. Just the bridges, strange corners and small passages make the district fun. Nowadays there are restaurants, hotels, galleries and a few craft shops, but fortunately it doesn't feel like a sleek tourist scenery everywhere.

Find a compass

The Schiefe Haus: As crooked as it looks

The most famous house in the Fischerviertel is the Schiefe Haus from 1443. And no, the photographer didn't keep his camera wrong. The building is really healing over the Blau. The south side went down over the centuries and the upper floors continued to rise above the water.

The amazing thing is that you can just sleep there: Now there's a hotel in it. The house used to be used by fishermen. In the basement there was even a basin where live fish was kept. This makes it not only a funny crooked house, but also a nice remnant of the way people once lived and worked here.

From the bridge you have the most famous view, but also walk along the side. You can only see how little interest in this house seems to be in water passes. Please note hotel guests; Their front door is not a photo set.

Let's see.

Walk along the old city wall along the Danube

After the narrow streets of the Fischerviertel, the Danube is a nice variety. Via the old Stadtmauer you walk with on one side gardens and old houses and on the other side the river and the Donauweide. Across the street is Neu-Ulm. On the bridge you cross not only the Danube, but also the border between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

The city wall was built just before 1480 and stood directly on the water. In the wall there are still iron rings on which boats were captured. The strip of grass between the wall and the current river did not develop until later due to sludge.

Walk to the Metzgerturm. Also this old defense tower is visibly tilted. According to local legend, sausagemakers were once locked up who had made their sausages too small. When a furious mayor came in, they would all have jumped from fear to the same side, after which the tower collapsed. Historical evidence: zero. Amusing story: absolutely.

At the end of the afternoon this is one of Ulm's most pleasant places. Sit on the wall, look at the boats and possibly walk over the Herdbrücke to Neu-Ulm. From the other side you can see the Münster standing out above the city.

Look at the details

Check out the colourful Rathaus van Ulm

The Rathaus doesn't look like a building where someone quietly applies for a municipal permit. The facade is full of colors, figures and painted stories. The oldest part was built around 1370 as a trading house and has been used as a town hall since 1419.

Especially look at the astronomical clock on the east side. It was applied around 1520 and shows astronomical information. The paintings you're seeing today are largely from 1900. Then the weathered old images were restored and partly refilled.

Inside is a replica of the aircraft of Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger, better known as the Schneider von Ulm. In 1811 he tried to fly his self-built glider over the Danube. That didn't exactly go according to plan, but later his idea didn't turn out so crazy.

Right next to the Rathaus stands the glass pyramid of the Stadtbibliothek. The combination is a bit strange, but therefore interesting: an exuberantly painted town hall and a modern glass library to share one square.

For those who have time left

Kloster Wiblings is worth the detour

Kloster Wiblingen is located outside the center and therefore fits less easily into a fast city walk. If you only have a few hours in Ulm, I'd save it for next time. If you have a full day or a weekend, the library is especially worth the detour.

The baroque hall is everything a modern library is not: fresco... sculptures, gilded details, marble impressions and almost no empty space. The whole is more like a party room than a room where books were ever studied. Subtle is different, but it's impressive.

In the Museum im Konventbau you will discover how the former Benedictine monastery functioned. Wiblings was not only a place of prayer, but also a large economic company on which many people in the area depended.

Bus 3 and 8 drive from Ulm towards stop Pranger. The library and museum have different opening hours per season. The Basilika St. Martin is expected to be restored until about 2028 and is restricted. Therefore, check the up-to-date visitor information from Kloster Wiblingen.